Taboo
by forbiddentransmutations
Summary: Al falls victim to the same disease as his mother, leaving Edward without a single family member to comfort him. Desperate, he tries to revive his dead brother and mother, in hopes of recreating what was lost. However, through his eagerness, he fails to realize the taboo he is about to commit, and it results in horrific consequences. FMA AU story.
1. Bringing him back

**Title: **Taboo

**Author: **Forbiddentransmutations

**Pairing: **None, really.

**Summary: **Basically, FMA AU where Al falls victim to the same disease as his mother and Ed attempts to bring Al back via human transmutation. It is based on the original anime so I think you can kinda guess what happens next.

**Rating: **We'll just give it an M for gore in upcoming chapters.

**Notes: **This is inspired by a dream I had of the brothers, which affected me greatly. I'm not the best writer but I hope you guys find joy in reading this. I have the next chapter written up and it shall be published soon enough! I know I tend to drag on the story, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

No one knew Alphonse was suffering the same disease their mother had. No one knew that the week before the Elric brothers were to bring their mother back from the dead that Alphonse would meet the same fate. No one knew how much his older brother Edward cried about it. First his mother, now his brother, it seemed as though the world just wanted him to be alone.

Winry Rockbell sat beside him, holding onto her knees as they watched the slow flowing river from the bank. Ed was curled up in a foetal position, wiping away his tears. He had never cried so much in his life, not even when his mother, Trisha, died. It must have finally struck him. He couldn't live without a mother, but at least he had his brother's smiling face by his side. Now, he had nothing. He had no smiling brother and no smiling mother. All seemed empty in the world.

"It's going to be alright, Edward," his friend reassured him, placing a hand on his back, rubbing it up and down. Their backs against the setting sun, it was the only source of decreasing heat in the area. The river ran quietly and smoothly, which seemed to be the only properly flowing thing in the world right now. Ed felt the girl's warm touch against his back. It wasn't that part of his body that needed comforting. He needed a hug, and a pat on the back hardly felt like comfort.  
"What am I going to do?" Edward whimpered, afraid to show his tear-stained, red face. Winry fell silent. She moved her hand away from him, unable to think of what to say. She couldn't say anything really. She couldn't say anything to make the pain go away. And she felt Edward knew that fact. Controlling his sobbing, Edward quietened down. There was not much noise- only the tweets of the evening birds and the water splashing against the banks calmly. The young girl kept her eyes fixed on the crying boy then averted her attention to the river. She hoped that at least would bring some serenity and peace.

"I don't know, Edward," She suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse yet gentle. She had been crying too, but hardly as much as her friend. Alphonse was a close friend too; the trio were the happiest group of friends anyone in the town had seen. Suddenly, Edward's breathing began to quicken. He had lost control. He pulled his face away from his wrapped arms, bursting into hysterics. Frantically, he turned to his side and clung to Winry, who moved her body so they were both a little more comfortable. She didn't exactly know how to accept this cry for help, but she simply reacted by wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer, allowing him to weep into her chest.

Through muffled, sniffling sobs Edward cried, "I don't know what to do without either of them."  
Tears started to swell in Winry's eyes. She could hardly bear seeing her friend in so much pain. She tightened her grip on him, sniffling back her tears. After the outburst he finally calmed down, though didn't even consider pulling away. "I'm sorry..." He apologized suddenly. This made Winry sniffle and look down a little. "Why are you sorry?"

"For making you cry. I don't want you to cry too."

"It's fine. I don't mind crying for you, Edward. Sometimes you just need to, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's what Granny always told me," She replied shakily. Although Edward had just been crying and feeling the world stood still, the river continued to flow slowly.

The birds continued to chirp and tweet, and the sun continued to set. The world wasn't going to stop for one little crying boy, no matter how much he did.  
The duo barely noticed how cold it was once the sun had set, and it was Granny Pinako who had to go out with a lamp and collect them. On the journey home, they passed Edward's house, where he grabbed some spare clothes and items dear to him. He was the only one who lived in the house left, and he had no idea what to do with it. Once they got back to the Rockbell residence, Granny began to cook her famous stew. After all the crying, Edward felt exhausted and hungry. He just wanted to eat and then go rest. They ate in almost silence; the only thing heard from one another was the slurping of the broth and the sip of the drinks. Granny knew not to intrude on Edward's thoughts, so she never brought it up. She knew that he was suffering enough, he was just like Winry when her parents died. That was something the children had in common: they were both orphaned. Well, Edward had his father, but he hadn't shown his face since he was three, so he practically lost all faith in him.

The blond haired boy slept on the couch that night, in the room full of automail and appliances. You could hardly call it sleeping; he spent the entire night lost in thought. He remembered what life was like before his family had slipped from him. He remembered how his mother would bake the most delicious apple pies and place them out on the windowsill to cool off. He remembered when him and Al would play tag and run through the lake on the hot summer's day with Winry. He remembered all their fights, even they seemed to be a fond memory now. He refrained from breaking down into tears thinking about it, but his heart was certainly heavy. It took until early morning for him to fall asleep, and Granny and Winry must have picked up on that fact, because he hardly budged when they tried to wake him. They decided to leave him for the time being, and tend to breakfast. He'd wake up eventually.

-  
The boy awoke early afternoon, hair a mess and eyes droopy. He was lucky he had rather short hair. Moping around in his dirty clothes, he forgot to tend to himself. The burden of his family's death weighed on him. Al had only been gone for a week, and today was the day the two had decided to revive their mother. They had gotten back from training with their alchemy teacher, Izumi not 2 weeks ago, and the woman blamed herself for Al's death. She kept stressing it was her fault for pushing the two too hard, despite the reassurance that that was far from the truth. It was never her to dwell on such things, but she had shown a softer side of herself recently that Ed found difficult to handle.

Winry was learning some important techniques from her grandmother about engineering the automail, and Ed had the displeasure on stumbling in when the girl was over the desk screaming with frustration about the difficulty of the work. At least she was lively that day. He was the exact opposite. He had skipped two meals from his sleeping pattern, and he was hardly even hungry. Deciding the two were too busy for him, he went upstairs to read up on some books.

Most of Winry's library consisted of medical books but he didn't mind. He had read enough alchemy books in the past few years and he did need to know a little about medical practices if he was going to attempt a human transmutation. The ratio to medical books he read to alchemy books was quite large. Still, he had to read up on a few things in case something went wrong. Then again, if he doubted succession, he shouldn't be attempting the taboo. But he was desperate. If all things pulled off, Edward would end up performing two transmutations: One on his brother and one on his mother. He planned to bring Al back and then use his alchemy combined to bring back their mother.

That night was a cold and cloudy night; a storm was approaching. Edward explained to Pinako that he wanted to spend the night at his own home, much to her dismay. Winry stood by her dog, Den, and waved the boy a goodbye. "We'll be here all night if you get lonely," she gave her sweet smile, Granny puffing her pipe. She shook her head in disbelief. "Just don't do anything stupid," she snapped, Edward waving it off as he set off back to his home. The sun had just set, though it was hardly noticeable with the clouds, and he headed down to his house, which was still unlocked. The home was cold, dark and unoccupied. It felt as though no one had lived here for years.

The rain started to sprinkle as Ed lit his lamp and made his way around the house, grabbing the necessary ingredients. "Water, 35 litres; Carbon, 20kg; Ammonia, 4ls; Lime 1.5 kg; Phosperus, 800g; Salt, 250 g. Salt Pieter, 100;. Sulphur, 80g; Fluorine, 7.5g; Iron, 5g; Silicon, 3g," Edward recited the elements he needed, going into the kitchen and his own cupboard to collect them. Shoving it all into his bag and carrying the water, he walked out in the light rain, heading over to the family's barn.

Grabbing the tub he used to bathe in as a child, he poured and mixed all the ingredients in, before pushing it off to the side. He needed to draw out the transmutation circle before he continued. His head was aching, and it was apparent he wasn't thinking clearly. He only had one goal and that was to revive his brother. He hadn't been gone long, so it seemed simple enough. He had his doubts but he ignored the nagging feelings they brought. He was going to get his family back.


	2. Consequences

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the wait guys, I had a hard time finding the chapter on my other computer, and then it was a matter of getting it onto this one and editing through. The 3rd still needs to be written, and I'm not sure WHEN that'll be, but I hope to not leave it for too long. That said, this is just a little more..re-writing what happens in the series, so I'm sorry to say but nothing too interesting happens yet. After this, though I promise something will happen. heh heh. All that aside, enjoy!

The rain began to pour over time, showering heavily by the time Edward finished drawing up the circle. All of his anxiety and sadness turned into excitement and determination. He knew this was going to work, he knew he would see his brother's smiling face again. "I'm coming, Alphonse," he smiled proudly to himself, dragging the ingredients into the middle of the matrix. Standing over the tub, he held a knife to his finger. If he sacrificed some blood, it should be enough to bring Al back.

It should be enough, it would be enough.

After setting things up, he was finally ready to start. The rain began to bound against the roof, thunder rolling and lightning flashing. Winry and Pinako would be tucked up soundly on their couch or in their beds, unaware of what the boy was about to attempt. If Ed had been a little wiser or at least thought clearly, he would have realized the growing possibility of this entire idea not working. Of course, he was far too blinded by his expected results to see what could go wrong.

Satisfied with his work, he dropped to his knees, positioned right against the rim of the circle. He kept his hands close to his chest, staring down at the chalk-drawn circle. He gave a hearty sigh, before inhaling deeply and closing his eyes.

_This was it. He was going to see his brother again. _

With that, he threw his hands down onto the line of the matrix, waiting for the reaction to begin. Within seconds, the room lit alive with a blue flash that erupted from the lines Edward drew out. Heart racing, he kept his hands on the circles, watching as the flash of light turned to gold and started to swirl like a tornado on the lines of the circumference of his mark. Through squinted eyes, he saw that the ingredients began to move and react inside the tub.

The biggest grin began to form across his face, from cheek to cheek. He kept his hands flat down, heart racing with anticipation. He knew this would work. If he just kept transmuting, his brother would appear inside the circle. He just didn't know how long it would take to make a human. It could possibly be a long time.

His mind started to wonder, as he imagined his brother laying inside the tub, awaking from a long sleep, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms. He would open his eyes to see him, and smile and thank him for bringing him back to life. This thought only made Ed more anxious for the result, but we was patient with the hope in seeing his family again. It was going to work, _it was._

Edward couldn't have been more wrong.

As the golden rays of light began to spin quicker, flashes of purple and violet replaced them. The room grew dark and a cold breeze whisked through the room. The centre of the circle began to glow blindingly bright white. Ed turned his head away, closing his eyes. He let out a gasp. Frightened, he pulled away from the circle, bringing his hands back as he began to crawl backwards in a panic. He closed his eyes, not even wanting to see what was going on. Within seconds he felt his entire body being invaded and pulled on by something, which was enough to snap his eyes open.

He looked down at his body to see four dozen long, black hands with tiny fingers grabbing and wrapping themselves around him. They coiled around his legs, his arms, his neck, his torso and his face. He began to scream in fear, sweating and panting. They seemed to be pulling him somewhere, as much as he tried to fight it. He flailed his arms and legs around as he was hoisted into the air and pulled back. He let out another blood-curdling scream as a clash of thunder sounded from outside. Everything outside seemed distant after that. The light from the transmutation circle seemed to dim. In fact, everything seemed to dim. He breathed quickly and heavily, pupils shrinking. He was being pulled back into darkness, and he couldn't even turn his head to see where he was going.

Silence.

Blackness.

There was nothing to be seen or heard. But the boy still couldn't escape from the tightly clinging hands.

Suddenly a flash of light appeared in front of him, images and symbols zooming passed him. The hands kept a tight hold on him, as he had to stay there, being pushed deeper into it all. His head throbbed with pain as more and more images and symbols were thrown at him. It was like receiving a thousand bits of knowledge at once.

Through the pounding migraine and unclear thoughts, he realized that the knowledge was about alchemy. Everything about alchemy was there. Everything everyone knew about the science was being forcefully implanted into his brain. He let out another scream, struggling to inhale. The hands didn't loosen any grips, and he had to endure the torture of seeing every image about alchemy ever to be blasted into his brain. He had no idea where he was, but he wanted to escape. Tears escaping his eyes, he looked down at his body, trying to avoid the sudden burst of knowledge. It was like a nightmare he couldn't escape.

Unfortunately it still sunk into him, and all of this wasn't made any better as he realized the hands had been in fact a bunch of little black baby-like figures huddling around his body. They seemed extremely interested in his body, scratching, clawing and nipping at it. He panted, shrieking, "Get away from me!" Of course, they didn't listen. He squirmed and struggled, looking back up. The information seemed to have ended; the stream of images and symbols stopped. What appeared in front of him was even more upsetting than what was previously displayed.

There stood the silhouette of his little brother, Al. The human that he tried to transmute was standing right before him. Another scream escaping him, he attempted to reach out for Al, the black figures around his body fighting against his strength.

Once again, he found himself falling backwards by the force of the firm fingers and hands. Suddenly everything paused.

He was standing on his own two feet, facing into pure whiteness. His jaw was dropped, eyes wide and pupils small. He felt the tears drying on his cheeks, and his heart slowing to normalcy. Shaking, he turned around to see a large, old-fashioned door placed right in front of him. It towered him. It didn't take a second to realize that was the door he was inside previously.

That was where he had seen all of the information that hurt his brain. That was where he saw those little black demon children, and that was where he saw his little brother. He had seen everything in there, he had seen the truth. His brain still aching from his experience, he still felt he needed to see it again. He had to go back in there and get Al.

Desperately, he ran to the door, slamming his fist into it. "You've got to show me it again! I want to see it again! What will I have to pay to see it again? What did I have to pay to see it just now?!" He punched at the door again and again. Before he could scream another thing, the entire area went dark. He closed his eyes and opened them again to see himself back in his barn. The flashing purple lights were gone, and the entire room was filled with smoke that came from the tub filled with ingredients.

Edward could barely breathe, he clenched his fists, on his hands and knees, head dropped. He felt woozy and disoriented. "What did I have to pay?!" He screamed once more. After a moment, he began to feel an intense pain trigger on his body. He almost fell to the ground in shock, but managed to stay stable. It took another moment for him to register the unthinkable: his left leg was missing. Now aware of the source of pain, he let out another shrill scream. He supported himself on one hand and used the other to hold his hip, trying to apply pressure to where his limb had vanished. He coughed and choked, falling to the ground with no more strength to stay up.

His eyes grew droopy, and he wouldn't stop coughing and whimpering. "Alphonse! Please! Alphonse! My Brother!" He squealed, voice cracking. He was simply exhausted. He was losing too much blood, and he felt himself plunging into darkness once more. Finding more strength, he clenched his fist and looked up. The smoke was fading, and he could get a clearer view of what he had created.

The tub was turned upside down and beside it laid a sorry looking creature. It was black, it was bleeding and it was gagging and breathing uneasily. Most of its stomach was split open, and its organs were oozing out.

The boy had never seen such a horrific sight. It was hard enough to gaze upon this monstrosity, let alone having to witness it struggling to live. "This isn't what I wanted! This wasn't supposed to happen!" He screamed, lowering his head again. "Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry I did this!" By now he was screaming nonsense. The colour in his skin began to fade; he was losing too much blood.

"Alphonse...Alphonse...My brother...Alphonse!"

He allowed himself to fall onto the ground once more, fading into unconsciousness while listening to the creature he created coughing and struggling.

"Edward!"

Winry's voice was distant and almost unrecognisable. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing two blurred figures looking over him. He had temporarily forgotten all that had happened. He even forgot why his entire lower body was sore and aching. Weakly, his eyes finally opened, looking up at the two females with the concerned looks on their faces. Pinako was puffing her pipe, but had it off to the side of her mouth. Winry had her hands close to her chest, eyes wide with worry. Ed tossed his head from side to side for a second, and adjusted his vision to his surroundings. He saw their broken faces turn to huge smiles.

"Edward..." Winry sighed with relief, tears forming in her eyes. If Ed had been more focused, he would have seen that she had been crying pretty hard. Her face was red and swollen, and her cheeks were stained with tears. The relief that he was alive only set her off once more.

The boy couldn't even speak. He felt extremely weak and disoriented. He didn't even know what he was doing there. His lower body ached like no other, and he was finding it difficult to breathe.

After a moment, he spoke.

"W-Winry? What happened?"

The young girl's face turned to horror, as if she had just witnessed a murder. She couldn't speak. It was Pinako who talked. With a puff of her pipe, she pulled it from her mouth, exhaling as the smoke escaped her mouth. She shook her head.

"You did the most foolish thing anyone could ever think of doing."


	3. Rehabilitation

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Sorry for the what seems to be long wait! I finally gained some motivation and worked on this story, and I still feel like doing so, so I'll be updating more frequently now c: I guess the reason being because I've finally started to branch out away from canon, and actually got the story underway. I apologize if you don't feel much happens in this chapter either, but I feel it does by the end of it. I don't want my own story to SUDDENLY happen, so the build up may be a little while longer. I hope to begin some mysteries and important plot stuff by next chapter (I'm quite positive that will be the case). So yeah, thank you guys for all the support you have given me, it means the world to me, really. I can't believe I have people actually reading this and asking for me! I thank you guys for all the kind reviews and follows. I hope I've satisfied your wait with this chapter. Enjoy!

The days dragged on. Edward used this time to recover, think and sleep. The flashbacks of that night lingered, and he found it rather difficult to sleep. All he could remember was the flashing lights, the tugging of the foreign little hands, the intense truth that he had witnessed, and the result of his transmutation laying half dead and in severe pain. The images haunted him, and they were imprinted into his brain like a photograph. He would never be able to escape the horror he saw that night. To add, he now was one leg short, a stump remaining just above his left knee. It wasn't exactly clear when he would walk again.

Spending the days in Winry's bed, she left him to brood. He hardly talked, and he hardly showed emotion. That only proved how traumatised he really was. Pinako was kind enough to bring him meals every day.

Five days after the transmutation, Pinako enters Winry's room to serve Edward his dinner. Despite being served three meals a day, Edward had grown quite thin from the lack of eating them. His appetite was simply lost. While some times the Rockbells attempted to force feed him, they decided it was best to just let him be. She placed the pasta meal on the bed, right beside Ed. He kept his head down, eyes dead and bleak, the sagging frown on his face.

"Edward, would you like some food now?" Pinako spoke quietly and huskily. He didn't answer. He simply kept his head low and his face sad. She hummed to herself, stepping back. "Well, eat it when you're ready," she said, slowly walking to the door. Suddenly, she paused. It was apparent Edward would remain unresponsive, but she decided to speak anyway. "I might also mention that you had a visit from an important person the other day, but you were unconscious and the visit seemed pointless. He did, however, pass on the vital information you needed to know to me," She explained, standing in the doorframe, back turned to the broken boy.

For the first time in days, Edward perked up, the life returning to his eyes. "And...Who was the visitor?" He asked, voice shaky and fragile.

Without the pipe in the corner of her mouth, she simply sighed. She shook her head. "His name was Roy Mustang. He was a State Alchemist curious to know what had happened to you that night. Once he heard all about it, he was obviously impressed that you could attempt something so taboo. He felt rather sympathetic over the loss of both your brother and your mother, and he understood that your father was out of contact. He then mentioned the possibility of you joining the military, which I instantly protested," She explained, back still turned to the alchemist.

"But why did you protest?" Edward replied meekly, enthusiasm slightly returning in his voice.

Pinako spun her body around and turned to him. She grumbled. "Because joining the military means you're a dog, blindly obeying every wish of the people higher in authority. It's a sad, murderous life, and I can't even begin to fathom why that Mustang fellow would even consider such a thing," She said, sounding a little hurt in her words. Edward sighed.

"It's my choice, Grandmother Pinako. I make the decisions of my life, and if it's my decision to join the military, then no one will stop me," he retorted, equal hurt in his tone.

She uttered a tiny laugh. While she seemed rather intimidating, she was aiming to be far from it. "Making your own decisions? Well, why do you think you're bedbound right now? You made that foolish decision to bring your brother back; are you going to make yet another foolish decision?"

Edward fell silent, biting his lip.

She took a breath and her tone changed from mocking to sympathetic.

"You don't have to feel bad for asking for help, Edward. We knew how much you were suffering. Your brother's time was far too soon, as well as your mother's. You don't have to go this alone; we want to help you make the right decisions."

There was a long silence. Edward was shivering and finding it difficult to breathe. Suddenly he spoke. "Perhaps the military can offer me something I don't already have? I don't want to spend the rest of my life stuck on this bed, having my meals brought to me, and pissing in a bed pan. I hate it. Even if I do get equipped with your automail, I'll still be seen as a defenceless, young fool. I'd want to join the military so I don't have to live in fear, and feel helpless. Even if it means becoming a blind pup, then so be it," He said, placing his hand on his stumped leg.

She shook her head. "Give yourself some time to consider this, it's a rather big decision and you've only just about it. You need to consider the people here that are still important to you."

Edward didn't answer.

She grumbled once more and turned her back, about to head out. She seemed to entirely disregard the previous conversation. While she was disapproving, she had no right to judge for his decision. She was still his guardian, no matter how many fights they were to have. "Oh, and one more thing, Edward, when do you plan to be fixed with automail? I trust sitting in bed all the time isn't the most pleasant thing," She said as she stood at the doorframe once more.

This time, Ed responded.

"As soon as possible, I want to start the rehabilitation within the next month or so," He looked up towards the door. She nodded once. "Very well," She said, walking out of sight. He sighed. A moment after she left the room, she called out to Winry. "Winry! Where are you? We have to start working on Edward's leg tonight!"

The Rockbells scampered around the house for the next hour, presumably collecting the tools and materials needed to create a mechanical leg. Winry had strolled in on one occasion during the night to measure Ed's leg and decide the size suited for the artificial limb. Once she was gone, Ed had the rest of the night to himself.

By the lamp light, he sat, the hours old pasta beside him cold and unappetising. He decided to place it on the floor beside the bed and roll over to try and get a decent sleep. It wasn't as easy as he first thought, as the images of the monster he created spiralled in his head. He had no idea what that was exactly, but he feared that was what he had created from his brother. Was it his brother?

He began to reminisce the times when both family members were alive and well. While it made him extremely depressed, it also left him rather comforted and nostalgic. He remembered bits of his early childhood with Alphonse, playing or spending time with him. His mother was there too, the sweetest smile glued to herself. The smile was genuine and her laugh was true, and it was that nature that made the boys treasure their mother dearly. Everyone loved their mother, Trisha. They loved her enthusiasm and passion for life, and they loved how much she loved her family. Edward knew how special she was, and thinking back to those times gave him a little bit of closure.

He eventually drifted off to sleep, the sweet memories clouding his pained mind. For the first time in a week, Edward actually slept the entire night; no nightmares interrupting.

One week later and the automail leg was built. Winry was the one to excitedly storm through the room, the leg in her arm. Ed had finally felt excited and happy about something. Seeing that leg had given him new motivation, and the feeling that he could accomplish anything if he tried. He had been contemplating whether or not he should join the military over the past week, giving all benefits and disadvantages a consideration. Seeing this leg before him gave him confidence that he could very well join the military and become a state alchemist. He had no idea what this Mustang character saw in him, and why he was so eager to have him join. If he came all the way down to Resembool to visit a torn, disabled 11 year old, then he obviously had an intention Edward couldn't exactly decipher.

"Finally, it's finished!" Winry cooed, flailing the leg around. Edward uttered a smile. "Was it hard work?"

"Oh, yes! Definitely, but it really did pay off, y'know?" She giggled, skipping over to the bedside. He stared at the artificial leg. In a few hours, he would be walking on it. "I do warn you though; the operation to attach it won't be the most painless thing in the world."

Ed didn't care, he was up for the operation. It wouldn't feel any worse than what he endured that night, when he lost his flesh. Losing a leg seemed more painful than gaining one.

By the time he was carried to the bed in the workshop, he actually started to feel the pinch. The idea of having steel attached to his stump of a leg seemed more and more frightening. It still ached badly, and although it has been given almost two weeks to recover, it was still rather sensitive. Every time a customer came in to get a prosthetic attached, Ed would see them walking out crying in agony. These were grown men, at that. Al and he had always wondered how badly it must hurt, but never stopped to consider that they may actually one day feel that very pain.

Ed lay there, back supported by the angled bed. He saw his right leg and the remainder of his left leg. Winry and Pinako had been preparing gloves, water, wrenches and cloths. He gulped.

Once the women were ready, they stood either side of the bed, cleaning the tools and slipping on their gloves. "Just try not to scream too much, okay Ed?" Winry smiled comfortingly. Ed gave a slight nod. He had to brave during this. He had been brave enough to endure such pain for weeks, so having a little more wouldn't kill him. This was all for his own good, after all.

He had no idea what Pinako was doing, but it hurt like hell. The first time she adjusted a bolt, he made a blood-curdling scream. They had to pause for a moment to give him a break and time to cry. By the second time, he had endured it much better. He bit down hard on his lip, grunting in pain. It was Winry's turn to attach the actual leg now, having the base between the automail and the flesh attached. It was even more painful when they attached the nerve-endings.

After all the abuse, he was able to relax. Winry leaned over the bed, face near his. "You were brave, really. The first time was understandable, but you didn't even cry during the entire procedure!" Ed looked down, away from her. He was focusing on his legs. He decided to move his right leg. Nothing had been damaged to that leg. He wriggled his toes and kicked it up and down.

The automail was another story. He attempted to begin by wriggling his toes. There was hardly a response. Winry sighed. "Your body is not used to it. I'll take a few hours before it starts to recognize the new limb and move it properly. Automail is tricky that way," she smiled, moving away from him to join her grandmother in making dinner.

He sat there alone in the workshop, focusing on moving his limb effectively. Once he got the toes wriggling, he began to kick his leg up and down and move it back and forth. Two hours had passed before dinner was ready, and once he was called, Ed felt confident that he could begin to walk again. He felt Pinako knew too, otherwise she wouldn't have called him.

Taking a deep breath, he hoisted himself to the edge of the bed, dropping down until both feet touched the floor. On one foot he could feel the coldness of the tiles, and the other remained without feeling. Just this concept was hard enough to grasp. He took one step forward, clinging the bed behind him. He took the first step with his flesh leg, leaving his automail to support him for that split second. It seemed to go well. He took another step forward with his automail leg, letting go of the bed for support. With that, he stumbled and shook on the spot, before regaining balance. All it took was patience, practice and balance. It took at least ten minutes to get out to the dining room, but he finally made it. Winry and Pinako sat opposite each other, the seat next to Winry vacant. They had not started dinner yet, obviously patiently waiting for him to join them. They had encouraging smiles on their faces, calling him closer. "Wow, it's working so well for you!" Pinako clapped her hands together. Edward was rocking from side to side, wobbling as he walked in a side-step fashion. Slow and steady he was. After another moment of struggle, he joined the females at the table.

It felt rather strange to have this new ability. If he had been landed with a different guardian, he would have not been walking by now, and it would have cost double the price to get an engineer to go out and tend to him. He was fortunate to not have to live the rest of his life as a cripple.

The following months were long and vigorous. Edward had gone from waddling to limping to walking to running. Once he was able to leave the house, he ran through the meadows in the backyard. The sun was setting, and the sky was yellow. He sprinted through the grass, cheering and yelling victoriously. This had been the first time he set foot out of the front door in months and the fresh, cool air and freedom was extremely fulfilling. Tears swelled in his eyes; he had forgotten just how amazing outside was. A flock of birds flew overhead, heading off to their nests. From the hill that inhabited the house, Ed could see the river that he and his brother usually played at. It was also the place Al would go to whenever they fought. It wasn't that hard to find him if he supposedly ran away after a quarrel.

Panting, Ed scanned his home town. It remained exactly the same. No one had stopped for the little boy that nearly lost his life. In all honesty, he couldn't care less. No one was going to stop to ask questions. The sun would still set no matter how much he cried over Al and the emotional and physical pain he endured. He was simply content with that fact; he knew the world would keep on going. It was a lesson his teacher, Izumi Curtis, had ploughed into the Elrics' head enough. One is all, and all is one.

As the sun began to disappear behind the hills, Winry called Edward back into the house. He had plenty of time to explore the town on his new limb the next day. While he wasn't exactly pleased to be stuck in the house once again, he knew that from then on it wasn't going to be a daily thing. He decided to sleep on the couch that night, giving Winry her bed back for the first time in months. She had been so kind as to let him sleep there while recovering.

The rehabilitation would continue for at least another year, and Edward was prepared for it all. He rarely left the house beyond the gate, and only did so a few times to visit his old home to collect a few things and to take some money. With all of his family either dead or gone, everything in the house was his now.

Winry and Pinako remained extremely supportive of Edward's recovery, and encouraged him along as the days and weeks passed by. The family dog, Den, was just as supportive, in her own little way. She too had been equipped with automail, and had usually found herself alongside Ed when he did laps around the outside of the house.

Eight months had passed since Edward began training. The leg he stood upon began to feel rather natural to him. The aches in his leg became a lot less frequent, and he was actually able to run around a lot more. Every week, he would walk with Den to the cemetery, to mourn over his mother and brother, graves side by side. One day he too would be buries there, beside one of the two. The Elrics would lie there; all three beside each other. In that sense, they would all be together once more. However, Ed had learned to not think so much about his own death, and began to be more grateful for the life he was given. He was thankful that while his family was gone, he was still granted the power to live. While God was not behind it, he had sometimes questioned what was behind his survival.

With his leg stronger than ever, Edward decided to revisit some old people important to him. He had spent the night packing, explaining to Pinako and Winry about where he was going. They understood, but warned him to be careful on his journey. He was going to head south to Dublith, where the teacher who taught him the basic alchemy and martial arts he knew resided.

He had left for the train station early the next morning, kissing and hugging goodbye the only family he had left. Winry had grown to be a sister to him, and Pinako had grown to be a mother to him. He explained that he'd be back in Resembool in a few months, and that he only planned to stay with Izumi momentarily. He also explained that he was going to discuss the military business with her, and get her opinion on it. While he was certain she'd violently oppose, he wanted to set his opinion straight. Waving goodbye to the Rockbells, he headed down the path to the town solo, a backpack being the only thing he carried.

Edward had turned twelve during his rehabilitation, and his hair had grown out to just above his shoulders. It was hardly enough to pull it back into a braid, but he could definitely have it back in a ponytail.

Edward learned a lot between the time of losing both Al and Trisha and learning to use his legs again, and he knew that bringing back the dead was a deadly mistake. It was something he would never attempt again.

Arriving at the station, money in hand, he bought a ticket to the South of Amestris, Dublith. As he boarded the train, he accidentally bumped into a woman, who looked rather irritated by him. "I-I'm sorry!" He said, blushing, eyes wide. The woman was outstandingly beautiful, her wavy hair reaching down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were cat-like and her lipstick bright. She had the brightest, most purple eyes Ed had ever seen. He didn't even stop to think how unnatural it was to have purple eyes. She shook her head. "Why don't you watch where you're going, little boy?" She sneered, in the most smooth, seductive voice. Ed was a little shocked at how she really sounded. If he had been a little older, he would have noted her larger-than-usual breasts, but he had hardly been attracted by such a trait.

Nervously, he took a seat, making sure he sat opposite of the carriage that the woman sat. He felt rather intimidated by her, as young and harmless as she looked. He simply didn't want to cause any more trouble, and felt it best to avoid her. She acted rather uneasy, but nothing Ed couldn't pick up.

He spent the train ride rather curious, and kept wondering. He kept thinking back to the contact he made with the woman. It felt rather unsettling. It wasn't exactly her, but there was just something about her presence that made him shift in his seat. He shrugged it off eventually, drifting off into sleep thinking about what to say to his teacher once he saw her again.


End file.
